Sleigh.



No. 766,457. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904. E. MICHAUD & G. DESJARDINS.

SLEIGH.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 23. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

157 car Mac/mad %a r/r5J Qrdzn5 Inventors LEN fis Witnesses:

Attorneys No. 766,457. PATENTED AUG. 2, 1904. E. MICHAUD & G.DESJARDINS.

SLEIGH.

APPLICATION TILED JULY 23.1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

79 q 6 j 9 19 0E) 0-H o M L 30 Z] 6 20/ 3/ 21 nventora Attorneys UNITEDSTATES Patented August 2, 1904;.

PATENT OFFICE.

SLEIGH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 766,457, dated August2, 1904.

Application filed July 23, 1903. Serial No. 166,687. No model) To all2071,0711 it TH/fLZ/ concern:

Be it known that we, ELZEAR MIOHAUD and CHARLES DESJARDINS, subjects ofthe King of Great Britain, residing at St. Pierre, county of Provencher,Province of Manitoba, Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Sleighs; and we do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

Our invention relates to sleighs such as used for hauling purposes.

The object of the invention is to produce a sleigh of very simpleconstruction which will be durable and have a certain desirableflexibility in the joints or points of connection between the parts.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, tobe more fully described hereinafter and definitely set forth in theclaims.

In the drawings, which fully illustrate our invention, Figure 1 is aplan. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the forward truck of the sleigh,showing a portion only of the tongue or pole. This view is upon anenlarged scale, as will appear. Fig. 3 is a plan of the forward portionof the forward truck shown in connection with a portion of the tongue,and a portion of this view is broken away, as will appear. Fig. a is avertical transverse section taken substantially on the line 4: 4: ofFig. 2, a portion of this view being broken away for the purpose ofillustrating the manner of connecting the beams to the runner. Fig. 5 isa transverse vertical section taken through one of the beams at itspoint of connection with the runner.

Throughout the drawings and specification the same numerals of referencedenote like parts.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 and 2 represent,respectively, the forward and rear trucks, which constitute the body ofthe sleigh. These trucks comprise runners 3 and beams 4c,carried,respectively, near the middle points of said runners, the saidbeams being supported in brackets or knees 5, which are attached, asshown, to the upper edges of the runners. The brackets 5 consist ofoppositelydisposed adjacent plates or wings 6,which receive the upperedges of the runners between them, and these plates unite above to forma socket 7, each socket comprising a substantially V-shaped bottom 8 andside walls, ears, or cheeks 9, disposed at each end of the said socket.

At or near the extremities of the beams 4 there are attached the heads10, and each of these head s consists of a substa ntiall y rectangularyoke or strap 11, the upper portion whereof is adapted to receive thebeam, as shown in Fig. 5. The lower portion of each strap 11 is formedinto a V-shapedseat12. Between the seat 12 and the lower face of thebeam there is received a liller 13, which filler is open upon the sidesadjacent to the ears 9, its remaining walls conforming substantially tothe shape of the space formed between the lower face of the beam and thelower portion of the strap 11.

To the lower face of each of the beams A there is attached a spring 11,the ends whereof are provided with lateral extensions 15, which arerigidly attached to the inner sides of the sockets 7, as shown mostclearly in Fig. 4, and the bolts 16, by means of which these extensions15 are attached, pass through the interior of the tillers 13 and thechecks 9 and afford means for preventing the withdrawal of the heads 10from the sockets, as will be readily understood. 3

On their forward and rear faces the straps 11 are provided with pairs ofoppositely-disposed ears 17, between which are attached the extremitiesof opposit-ely-extending links 18, the same inclining downwardly towardthe runners, and these links at their extremities connect with theshorter links or knuckleplates 19, the same having their lowerextremities rotatably attached to the runners by means of the removablepins 20, used in connection with alining openings 21, there beingpreferably several of these openings 21, whereby an adjustment may bemade at these points, as will be readily understood.

The construction so far described is substantially the same for both theforward and the rear trucks. The rear truck further comprises a bolster22, which is attached to the upper side of the beam thereof by means ofbolts 23, as shown in Fig. l. A bolster 24 is employed in connectionwith the forward truck, the same being attached, however, by means of aking-bolt 25, enabling a pivotal movement of the bolster, as will bereadily understood. The extremities of the bolsters are fitted with capsor straps 26, including webbed sockets 27, to receive stakes or guards28 and secured by through-bolts 27 In the forward truck the adjacentfaces of the bolster and the beam are provided, respectively, withrubbing plates 29 and 30, having flanges 31, so that they form socketsadapted to receive the body of the parts to which they are attached. Tothe rear side of the rubbing plate 30 a clevis 32 is connected, the samebeing of substantially triangular form, its opening receiving theforwardextremity of the short tongue 33, which tongue attaches at itsrear to a cross-head 34, which cross-head terminates in pintles 35,rotatably mounted in the forward extremities of the runners of the reartruck 2, cotter-pins 35 being used in this connection, as shown. Therigidity of this tongue 33 is increased by means of the diagonal braces36.

The forward tongue or pole 37 attaches at its rear to a cross-head 38,substantially similar to the cross-head 34 aforesaid. This crosshead 38terminates in pintles 39, attached to the runners of the forward truckin the same manner as the cross-head 34 is attached to the runners oftherear truck. Diagonalbraces 40 are employed in connection with thistongue, the same comprising rearward extensions 41, which are threadedand cooperate with nuts 42 to secure the braces to the cross-head 38,webs 43 being employed in this connection in the manner shown.

In order to afford means for sustaining the weight of the tongue 37 atthe extremities of the cross-head 38, we provide the springs 44, whichconsist of several substantially helical coils disposed about thereduced extremities of the head, as shown, the extension 45 of thesprings being attached to the inner sides of the runners 3, the otherextremities of the springs having lateral extensions which are receivedin lugs 46, formed upon the upper sides of the cross-head.

To provide for hitching a pair of horses to the tongue 37, upon itsupper side near the rear there is attached a bracket 47 which is formedforwardly into an elongated eye 48, and this eye receives a transversepin 49, carried by the bifurcated extremity of a strap 50, the bodywhereof is disposed longitudinally of the tongue a short distance abovethe same, the forward extremity of this strap being offset downwardly,as shown, so that its tip 51 may be received under atransversely-disposed loop 52. These parts are preferably all mountedupon the upper one of two opposite plates 53, and between this plate andthe strap a swingletree 54 is attached by means of a short removablepivot-bolt 55. The said strap 50 is provided with several openings 56,disposed longitudinally upon the same. ment enables the position of theswingletree to be adjusted in a forward or rear direction, as will bereadily understood.

It should appear that the pull of the animals drawing the sleigh keepsthe strap 50 in a forwardly-disposed position and prevents anypossibility of the swingletrees becoming detached.

It should appear that the elongated eye 48 is of suclra length as toallow a rearward movement of the strap 50 to disengage the tip 51 fromthe loop 52, whereupon the swingletree could be removed and another oneapplied or the swingletree could be applied in a new position morereadily. Evidently the pull of the horses always maintains the strap inthis locked position.

While we have shown in the accompanying drawings the preferred form ofour invention, it will be readily understood that we do not limitourselves to the precise form shown, for many of the details may bechanged in form or position without affecting thev operativeness orutility of our invention, and we therefore reserve the right to make allsuch modifications as are included in the scope of the following claimsor of mechanical equivalents to the structures set forth.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

1. In a sleigh, in combination, runners,

brackets carried thereby and having substantially V-shaped socketsopening upwardly, a beam disposed transversely with respect to saidrunners, and heads carried by said beam and having substantiallyV-shaped seats adapted to be received by said sockets, said socketsbeing of a wider angle than said seats. 2. In a sleigh, in combination,runners, brackets carried thereby, said brackets having upwardly-turnedsubstantially V-shaped sockets, abeam disposed transversely between saidrunners, heads carried thereby and having substantially V-shaped seatslying in said sockets, said sockets being of a greater angle than saidseats, ears at the sides of said sockets, and bolts passing through saidheads and said ears, said seats having enlarged openings respectivelythrough which said bolts pass.

3. In a sleigh, in combination, runners, brackets carried thereby andhaving substantially V-shaped sockets opening upwardly, a beam disposedtransversely with respect to said runners, heads carried by said beamand having substantially V-shaped seats adapted to be received by saidsockets, said sockets being of a wider angle than said seats, and linksconnecting said heads with said runners.

4. In a sleigh, in combination, runners, brackets carried thereby, saidbrackets being This arrange-' IIS formed above into sockets, a beamdisposed transversely between said runners, heads carried thereby andreceived by said sockets, and a spring attached to the under side ofsaid beam and to the inner sides of said sockets.

5. In a sleigh, in combination, runners, brackets carried thereby, saidbrackets being formed above into sockets having ears at the sidesthereof, a beam disposed transversely between said runners, headscarried thereby and received by said sockets, a spring carried by theunder side of said beam and having lateral extensions at the extremitiesthereof, bolts mounted in said ears and passing through said lateralextensions and said heads, and links connecting said heads with saidrunners. 6. In a sleigh, in combination, runners, brackets carriedthereby, said brackets being formed above into sockets, a beam disposedtransversely with respect to said runners, straps surrounding said beam,fillers received in the lower portion of said straps below said beam andconforming substantially to the shape of said straps, the lower portionsof said straps being received in said sockets, and links connecting saidstraps with said runners forwardly and rearwardly thereof.

7. In a sleigh, in combination, runners, brackets attached thereto, saidbrackets being formed above into substantially V shaped sockets, a beamdisposed above said sockets, straps surrounding said beam and havingsubstantially V-shaped lower portions, adapted to seat in said sockets,fillers adapted to be received by the lower portions of said straps,lying beneath said beam and conforming substantiall y to the outline ofsaid straps, a spring carried by the under side of said beam andattached to the said sockets, and links connecting said straps forwardlyand rear \vardl y with said runners.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of twowitnesses.

ELZEAR MICI-IAUD. CHARLES DESJARDINS. WVitnesses:

J. A. MARION, F. D. AMMnN.

